--- title: How a Hacker Protects His Kids Against Other Hackers description: The focus should be on familiar, everyday objects. canonical: https://time.com/4264945/hacking-protection-kids/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-21T21:31:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:46:06.079Z og:title: How a Hacker Protects His Kids Against Other Hackers og:description: The focus should be on familiar, everyday devices og:url: https://time.com/4264945/hacking-protection-kids/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt146863ba76ff8e60/69888bb3cf40a88491c42788/gettyimages-200422184-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3750 og:image:height: 2109 og:image:alt: 200422184-001 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How a Hacker Protects His Kids Against Other Hackers twitter:description: The focus should be on familiar, everyday devices twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt146863ba76ff8e60/69888bb3cf40a88491c42788/gettyimages-200422184-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How a Hacker Protects His Kids Against Other Hackers > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Each week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published weekly. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=497cace1-56ba-4aae-9ec9-d47f6a895b70&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Tech Time: Is Face Scanning the Future of Security? [Watch (HLS stream): Tech Time: Is Face Scanning the Future of Security?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kCXAmgKD.m3u8) (1:53)  _Published 2015-08-24. Using Biometrics, some companies are making it so that you never have to remember a password again. But is it really the most secure method? TIME Tech Editor Alex Fitzpatrick weighs in._ by [Jonathan Stern / Fatherly](https://time.com/author/fatherly/) ## Jonathan Stern / Fatherly Contributor Mar 21, 2016 9:31 PM UTC  Girl (11-13) studying at desk, rear view Girl (11-13) studying at desk, rear view Blasius Erlinger—Getty Images by [Jonathan Stern / Fatherly](https://time.com/author/fatherly/) ## Jonathan Stern / Fatherly Contributor Mar 21, 2016 9:31 PM UTC Despite what Hollywood would have you believe, most hackers aren’t chugging Monster Energy drinks while laughing maniacally at binary code, and they’re not testing the security of every nanny cam and laptop in America. But internet-savvy pederasts, cyberbullies, and identity thieves do exist, so a certain amount of parental technophobia is warranted. Chris Hadnagy is the Chief Human Hacker at [Social-Engineer.org](http://www.social-engineer.org/) and a parent who wants to make sure you worry about the right things. So, for example, _not_ [your kid’s Hello Barbie](https://www.fatherly.com/connected-toys-pose-serious-security-concerns-for-parents-1585910762.html). “If you have to hack Mattel’s servers, it’s pretty far fetched that your neighbor is going to spy on your daughter,” he says. Hadnagy equates worrying about being majorly hacked with worrying about ninjas popping up on your lawn. Could it happen? Sure. Will it happen? Not unless you’re Chuck Norris. Focus, instead, on the mundane everyday stuff that you might not realize you should focus on, says Hadnagy. “I am worried about items that I put on my network with known vulnerabilities.” **Geotagging Hack** _What It Is:_ Geotagging is that bit of data on your smartphone that tags photos with the location where a pic was taken, and it’s putting your kids at risk. Hadnagy says that if you go on vacation to Disney World, it’s fine to leave tagging on, because you don’t live there (although you would if a decent two bedroom opened up in Adventureland). But say you post a picture on Facebook of your kid on the front steps of their school? Now a stranger has a pin on a map. _How To Protect Against It:_ Hadnagy doesn’t play up the likelihood of this happening, because someone has to scrape that info from a social media photo. But he does say this type of hacking has become less challenging and we’ll see more of it in the future. It’s easy enough to change location settings on your phone’s camera, so do it. **_Fatherly:_** [_Science Finally Figured Out How To Tame Your Crazy Toddler’s Temper Tantrums_](https://www.fatherly.com/temper-tantrums-research-on-patterns-and-solutions-to-help-deal-with-1620593270.html) **Wi-Fi Network Hack** _What It Is:_ Even the guy who named his network MakeAmericaGreatAgain has a decently long password to protect it (It’s 5ecretlyV0ting7orHillary). But he probably hasn’t done anything to his _router_, which anyone can go into and reset, using the default password. _How To Protect Against It:_ * First, make sure you’re using WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protection Access) encryption on your network. If you’re using the inferior WEP (Wireless Encryption Protocol), you might be living in 2002. * Know there’s a difference between that network your laptop connects to, which is secure, and the router it’s coming from (where the remote access password is still “password.”) Open up your Netgear (or Linksys, or Motorola…) manual and fix that. * While you’re at it, turn off remote access. If you need to change settings, use a cable. **Password Manager Hack** _What It Is:_ Strong passwords are a good deterrent, just like a robber doesn’t want to bother with a house that has a pit bull. But passwords are also long and clumsy—honestly ain’t nobody got time for that. Password managers like [1Password](https://agilebits.com/onepassword) are great at organization; just make sure you don’t store that master file with all of the data in the cloud, where data breaches have happened, and they’re worse than bad news. _How To Protect Against It:_ “\[That file\] should be an encrypted package on your hard drive,” says Hadnagy. “I tell clients, nobody wants to remember 50 passwords. You can use a password manager, or just use a series of patterns on the keyboard.” **_Fatherly:_**[_6 Ways To Ensure Your Back Doesn’t Explode Before Your Kid Goes To College_](https://www.fatherly.com/the-best-stretches-and-exercises-for-dads-with-chronic-back-pain-1548783791.html) **Bluetooth Hack** _What It Is:_ What are some of the nasty things Hadnagy can do with an open Bluetooth connection? “I can turn your phone mic on and listen to you. People think you have to be within a range, but you can be within a mile,” he says. Of course, Hadnagy also says that this kind of attack is targeted. Hackers aren’t walking down the street hoping someone has an open connection. They’re sitting in Starbucks. _How To Protect Against It:_ “If the device \[you’re pairing with\] is giving you the standard 0000 code, it’s vulnerable,” he says. “But, if it gives you a unique code I’m O.K. with it.” **Nanny Cam Hack** _What It Is:_ The 2 main ways that hackers get into your unsecured cam is by either a) [Google dorking](http://www.businessinsider.com/term-of-the-day-google-dorking-2014-8) (not as sexy as it sounds) or b) Downloading user manuals (yes, the same manual you just used to secure your router). * _Dorking_. This is just using regular Google searches to find open cams. For instance, if a D-Link camera always has a URL of Dlink + camera number, hackers can do some quick math and search for more open URLs. * _Manuals_. Another simple, but overlooked way to get access. Every camera owner is going to forget their password at some point, which is why manufacturers put that reset info in the manual. Now those instructions are sitting on their site waiting to be exploited. _How To Protect Against It:_ When you decide to spy on your baby, make sure that you’re the only one. Hadnagy says there are three things to look for in a safe nanny cam: * a lot of administration settings. If you change that username and password as soon you set up your device it won’t matter if those creeps have the user manual. * the ability to shut it off the device without being physically there. As with all technology, pulling the plug is a foolproof way of stopping the machines from rising up. * a URL that isn’t public. If you’re able to easily watch your kid on your computer, chances are [other people in the world can as well](https://www.fatherly.com/shodan-is-the-search-engine-that-finds-unsecured-devices-like-your-bab-1603482843.html). **_Fatherly:_**[_How Co-Sleeping Ruined My Marriage_](https://www.fatherly.com/how-co-sleeping-destroyed-my-marriage-1418264881.html) **Credit Hack** _What It Is:_ Adults can worry about [phishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing) or [vishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice%5Fphishing), but there’s a another form of online identity theft that’s targeted at people without crushing student loan debt or a mortgage. “I have two kids and never even checked their credit report,” says Hadnagy. “But if someone makes a fake identity, we’re never going to know \[she was hacked\] until she’s 18 and getting her first credit card.” If you have anyone’s name, date of birth, and social security number you can make fake IDs. Fake IDs are submitted to credit card companies who don’t verify those names. Your 6-month-old just happens to have a stellar credit rating and, _ta-da_, some hacker is yachting around the Caspian Sea on your dime. _How To Protect Against It:_ If you think you’ve been compromised, credit reporting companies like Equifax can put a freeze on your kids’ account for 90 days, which will stop any transactions. That’s a quick fix, though, and you’ll need to be prepared to spend some serious time communicating with the credit agencies to restore your toddler to solvency. _This_ [_article_](https://www.fatherly.com/how-to-protect-your-family-against-hackers-1652166316.html) _originally appeared on_ [_Fatherly_](http://www.fatherly.com) ## Transcript [ SOUND ] Look, nobody likes passwords. They're hard to remember, you forget them all the time. You have to ask companies to send you new ones, it's a total pain. But what if your face, your fingerprints, or even your eyes could replace passwords entirely. Using something called biometrics, a lot of companies are already doing Companies can identify you by your face, your fingerprint, your eyes, basically anything that you have that other people don't, it's unique to you. And that can let you get into your bank account, your computer, your phone, all without remembering a password at all. Lots of popular companies are trying biometrics. Apple and Samsung phones have fingerprint scanners that let you access your phone. Some Windows 10 computers can recognize your face so you don't have to enter in a password at all. And even some banks are experimenting with ATMs that scan your eye and lets you get into your bank account. Isn't that all better than remembering cupcake start 82? But are biometrics really safer then passwords? Researchers recently found that an older HTC phone was storing fingerprint scans without any real protection at all, meaning any app on that phone could access your fingerprint scan and do whatever with it That's not good. You can't change your fingerprint like you can change a password. If somebody happens to learn my Twitter password, I can go and change it really quickly. But I can't just burn off my thumbprint and get a new one. That would really hurt and I don't wanna do that. Ultimately maybe biometrics shouldn't replace passwords entirely. Maybe the two should work in tandem and you'll still have to remember a password, but your eyeball scan or your fingerprint can be an extra layer of security on top of that. So will biometrics create a whole new way of stealing your identity? It sounds really suspicious. If I can log into my computer with my face, what's stopping someone from holding up a picture of my face and getting into my computer? Well, it turns out biometric software is pretty good at Preventing that kind of trickery, and that means it's probably where were headed for the future of security. [ MUSIC ] Cool. 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